Written by Dru Ahlborg, Co-Founder and Executive Director of BRRC
Bullying Recovery Resource Center (BRRC) was born in 2017 and quickly determined their mission of defending bullied children and helping rebuild lives. Since that time BRRC has worked across Colorado and beyond providing support, understanding, education, advocacy and hope for families deeply impacted from bullying. As we have traveled this road for years we have witnessed alarming disconnects with some schools identifying and addressing bullying. We have seen a great need for BRRC to go further and to provide additional assistance and education to school personnel.
Bullying of school-aged children is defined by bullying.gov with three core elements:
- Unwanted, aggressive behavior
- Observed or perceived imbalance of power
- Repetition, or high likelihood of repetition of bullying behaviors
Children who are targeted for bullying suffer and experience physical, mental and emotional turmoil as a result of the torments they endure. The crisis that bullied children deal with can greatly compound when schools do not identify and address bullying behavior. Bullied youth no longer want to attend school, become loners, experience lower grades and their emotional and mental struggles multiply.
We at BRRC have identified a wide-reaching disconnect with many schools not properly identifying or investigating for bullying when it is reported. We have been witness to schools and districts mis-labeling bullying behavior as conflict, and attempting to use conflict resolution tactics when it is indeed bullying. This creates more harm, distrust and anguish for a bullied child. We at BRRC see a great need to address this dilemma for our kids.
BRRC’s next great endeavor is to create and disperse education for all school personnel. We passionately see a need to provide a solid education for all school officials about bullying, bullying prevention, how to intervene and how to protect all children impacted by bullying. School teachers, administrators, attorneys and insurers should all be provided the tools, resources and education they need to properly identify, address and stop bullying. One goal is to build improved condition between students, parents/caregivers and school staff. A school that is properly educated about bullying and bullying prevention, and that correctly addresses bullying will build unity in their community and provide better protection for all students.
In 2025, BRRC will begin creating and gathering tools and curriculum to pilot this life-saving program in a Colorado school. We will partner with other organizations who can provide all school stakeholders including parents and students with the tools they need to properly identify and report bullying. Our long-term goal is to create systemic change where schools focus on the well-being of children first and create cultures where bullying will be less likely to flourish. We believe that proper education of all school personnel is the tool that can make this possible.